The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 12.
“Wow, this crazy bastard….”
Da-hye and Hyun-min clamped their hands over their mouths as they listened to the recording Ye-ji had played for them.
With the photographs added on top of that, the evidence was more than sufficient.
“He really had watched way too many dramas.”
“It’s not just Kim Ji-an that’s the problem—the other two adults are the real issue.”
As Ye-ji listened to the two of them, she continued painting in the studio.
Pouring the emotion she felt in this moment directly onto the canvas.
Black rain seemed to flow down across a canvas saturated with brilliant red.
“So, what do you want to do?”
Hyun-min asked toward Ye-ji.
She had no intention of letting this situation slide quietly by.
Since Ji-an had twisted things this far, she planned to respond in kind.
“I’m not planning to let this go quietly.”
Before Ye-ji could explain her plan,
she set down her brush—dark as ink, dripping with venom—and spoke.
“Going through the proper channels won’t settle my anger.”
At Ye-ji’s words, which seemed to hint at some scheme, Da-hye leaned in close.
So? So?
Da-hye’s face swelled with anticipation—eager to see how she planned to make that bastard eat dirt.
Then Ye-ji turned to Hyun-min and asked,
“You know someone in the Broadcast Club at our school, right?”
***
The top student of the second-year art department: Kang Yu-ra.
She found herself thoroughly bored as the semester break approached.
It wasn’t snowing, and the barren landscape outside her window was equally tedious.
Soon she’d be a third-year student and caught up in relentless chaos.
The only remotely interesting news had been that an exceptional prodigy had appeared among the first-years at Yeonshil Art High School.
But even that artwork’s destruction seemed to have gone unsolved, swept under the rug.
“Yu-ra! Thanks so much for helping me prepare last time.”
“Oh, sure.”
Yu-ra examined a dessert a student had gifted her, then popped one into her mouth.
Even in a school filled with students who boasted and bragged, the truly gifted stood out.
Yu-ra, with no worthy rival to challenge her, had actually harbored hopes for Ye-ji—but those hopes lay shattered in half.
Certainly, the work was admirable.
It was impressive enough to kindle no small amount of envy.
But if such a girl was the type to just accept this situation and move on, where was the fun in that?
In the midst of her boredom, the sweetness that made her tongue tingle brought a small measure of joy.
Screeeee—
“Ugh!”
“What?! What is this?!”
A sharp screech suddenly burst from the school speakers.
Every student in the classroom clapped their hands over their ears.
Then, sounds of what seemed like an argument came pouring through the speakers.
From the main building to the annex, the gymnasium, and the sports field—the sound rang out loud and clear everywhere.
Is there anything in the world people enjoy more than watching a fight?
The students’ attention shifted from the screech itself to the content flowing out.
[“You could’ve gotten away with it if you hadn’t destroyed the work!”
“If you took the money anyway, all you have to do is pay for what you took!”
“That’s why I’m returning it!”
“You took money from Ye-ji too? You double-dipped?”]
Yu-ra had been listening with considerable interest until she heard a familiar name, and her expression froze.
Ye-ji?
“Hey, isn’t that the girl?”
“The one whose work got destroyed at Yeonshil this time?”
The fragmented conversation set the entire school abuzz.
Yu-ra saw something fluttering and falling from above outside her window, so she opened it.
Countless papers were raining down from the roof.
Yu-ra reached out and snatched one of the papers.
“……Photographs.”
Not just Yu-ra, but all over the school, students opened their windows and reached out to grab the papers falling around them.
In them, three people were clearly captured pointing accusing fingers at one another, their faces twisted in anger.
“Oh my god! That sound we just heard is actually connected to the Yeonshil destruction case!”
“So this first-year named Kim Ji-an hired someone to wreck it?”
“And he even bribed the judge panel members.”
“These photographs and what we just heard are the evidence!”
Chaos began spreading through the school—louder than the speakers themselves.
Yu-ra watched the situation unfold and found herself smiling darkly without quite meaning to.
Somehow, she had a feeling that next year’s school life was going to be incredibly fun.
***
While the school erupted in turmoil, there was one classroom that fell into eerie silence.
“…….”
First-year, Class 1 of the Art Department.
The eyes of the students in the classroom darted frantically between Ye-ji and Ji-an.
Soon, students drawn by the commotion to gawk at the principals broke that silence.
The students who had only been watching nervously began to move gradually.
All of them instinctively distanced themselves from Kim Ji-an, who now stood at the center of the scandal.
“Is it him?”
“Yeah, he must be the culprit.”
“Wow, he looks like such a model student too. So you really can’t trust appearances.”
The students’ whispers were always honest and unguarded.
Follow curiosity and entertainment, and that was all that mattered.
Kim Ji-an, receiving negative attention for the first time, didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Ye-ji. Is that… is that real…?”
“Thank god at least you actually got first place!”
“Did he get first place before because of bribes too?”
All the blame and scorn fell on Ji-an, while comfort and encouragement flowed toward Ye-ji.
In the small classroom, the two contrasting reactions mingled until their stark difference became painfully obvious.
Within that maelstrom, Ji-an—who had been trembling with his head buried in his desk—finally couldn’t hold back and slammed the desk, lurching upright.
“…!”
He tried to glare at Ye-ji fiercely, but his gaze couldn’t reach her.
Not just familiar classmates, but students from all other departments too—
a crowd had gathered to witness this uncommon spectacle.
Ji-an was trapped.
In the end, he left the classroom without a word, his shame complete.
“Everyone quiet! What is all this commotion?!”
“Everyone back to your own classrooms!”
The teachers, belatedly grasping the situation, tried to restore order, but it was a losing battle.
The students scattered from the scene became the most enthusiastic amplifiers of this scandalous gossip.
The exposed recording and photographs spread rapidly through the student body.
And eventually, they leaked to the media.
‘Former Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism’s Grandson Suspected of Bribing Preview Judges… Audio File Released’
‘Power Over Art? Scandal Shakes Yeonshil Preview’
‘Shockwaves Reach Political Circles… Former Minister’s Son-in-Law Predicted to Face “Political Damage”‘
‘After Audio Leak, Fallout Continues… Former Minister’s Family Issues Neither Apology Nor Explanation’
The articles that began in minor art publications quickly spread to the political sphere.
The school promptly moved to verify the judges’ lack of transparency.
Thanks to Jung Do-hyun, the gallery director who was party to the recording, stepping back from Kim Ji-an’s camp on his own, the facts were confirmed swiftly.
The school hastily revised Kim Ji-an’s practical performance grade from the previous semester to the lowest possible mark.
And so Ji-an, now disgraced, did not return to school after that.
Though the teachers didn’t mention it directly, the line drawn through his name in the attendance record spoke volumes about his situation.
[Kim Ji-an – Transfer]
In the most disgraceful manner, as if expelled, Kim Ji-an disappeared.
“Wow, that felt amazing.”
Park Se-hee, a member of the Broadcast Club and model.
She spoke with unbridled excitement.
Her assistance had been crucial in broadcasting the audio file through the speakers.
“It was an honor to be included in something like this, Ye-ji!”
Before heading home early for the end-of-term ceremony, Se-hee—whom Ye-ji had called up to the rooftop—gave an exaggerated bow.
It wasn’t just Se-hee gathered on the school rooftop.
On the day everything was exposed,
Ye-ji had decided to mobilize several people to avoid unnecessary interference.
Those who helped that day were students from other departments who had connections with Hyun-min.
“This is a story I can milk for the rest of my life, right?”
“I mean, he really was a total bastard. Honestly, it felt so good.”
It was students from the Dance Department who regularly played soccer with Hyun-min who had scattered the photographs.
Quickly distributing photos from the roofs of the annex and main building, then escaping before the teachers arrived—
that was child’s play for them.
“Thanks to all of you.”
Instead of the petty methods adults employ, children were easily swept up in interest and emotion.
A task that looked entertaining, and one that meant making a bad guy face consequences—
They’d immediately offered their help once they heard Ye-ji’s story and circumstances.
“Don’t mention it. You’re the one who had a rough time.”
“If we see you around school next semester, we’ll say hi and pass!”
“We’re looking forward to next semester!”
Together with her newly made diverse circle of friends, Ye-ji could close out the semester with a smile.
Of course, not all her questions had been answered, but Ye-ji didn’t particularly want to dig deeper into everything.
If someone wanted to help her from the shadows, it seemed wiser simply to accept the benefits quietly.
“So, what are you doing over this break?”
To Da-hye’s question, Ye-ji answered simply.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I’ll head out to my grandmother’s place for a bit.”
“Out to the countryside all of a sudden? Aren’t you going anywhere fun?”
“Well, it’s like this….”
Of course, part of her did want to visit France again sometime.
But right now, her parents couldn’t make the trip together.
With both money and time tight, there was no real need to go abroad.
And there was her own reason for choosing to visit the countryside.
“With all the interviews and articles that ran after this, people are making a fuss everywhere.”
Because of this incident, the media had ended up shining a spotlight on Ye-ji as well.
Her parents expressed considerable concern about her situation.
Relatives who suddenly saw their niece or cousin on the news were flooding them with calls.
Because of that, her parents decided to accompany her to keep her safe.
Ye-ji, unwilling to refuse her parents’ protection and consideration, readily agreed with their decision.
She could visit her grandmother, offer proper greetings after so long, and dedicate time to her painting.
“Yeah, it’s worth doing. Go eat lots of delicious food and come back!”
It seemed Da-hye and Hyun-min were going on overseas trips with their parents.
Typical of kids from wealthy families.
A childish twinge of envy stirred somewhere deep in her heart, but Ye-ji felt oddly delighted by the feeling.
A person without envy has no drive to grow.
It was proof that she was, after all, just a second-year student—still young.
She was special only in the trivial fact that she remembered her past life.
“Take care, everyone!”
“I’ll stay in touch!”
“See you next year!”
And so, Ye-ji’s first year at Yeonshil Art High School came to an end.
***
“Hm?”
Ye-ji, walking home with a light step, had no choice but to stop at the apartment building’s entrance.
“How have you been?”
In front of the spacious apartment complex,
a woman stepped out of a luxury foreign car and greeted her: it was Chloe.
“I’m sorry for showing up at your home like this.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine.”
If they’d been complete strangers, it might have been different, but Ye-ji knew Chloe.
Even if it was only from one-sided memories of her past life.
“Meeting at school might have caused misunderstandings for us both.”
This year’s Yeonshil preview had been quite turbulent.
An encounter between Ye-ji, who stood at the center of it all, and Chloe, a judge, could easily be misconstrued.
Chloe smiled lightly at Ye-ji’s words, thanking her for understanding.
It was a strange feeling, watching it all unfold.
The passionate, youthful girl from her memories now stood before her as an impressive woman in her middle years.
Memories of a rural village surrounded by nature overlapped with the reality of an apartment-filled modern city.
Ye-ji rubbed her nose awkwardly and asked,
“But what brings you here?”
At her question, Chloe handed her a single poster.
Though written in French, Ye-ji had no trouble reading it.

– International Art Competition for Youth
“It was announced yesterday.”
Should she reveal that she could read French?
As Ye-ji was briefly wondering, Chloe explained first.
“The gallery I work for is holding a youth competition this time to discover emerging artists.”
The open-entry competition was for young people aged 15 to 18, regardless of nationality.
And the grand prize money alone came to 50,000 euros—
which was roughly 80 million won in Korean currency.
For a competition targeting students rather than adults, it was quite substantial.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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